Removal of Loose Belly Fat and Skin

Unfortunately for many losing belly fat does not end when you reach your ideal weight. If you have lost a lot of weight then the skin which was previously stretched tight by the excess belly fat will now be loose. At first glance you may make the mistake of thinking that this is loose belly fat, but the chances are that most of what is there is actually loose skin.

Although exercise and diet can help to tighten up some of the excess skin, no amount of diet and exercise can remove loose skin, the only option is surgery. To remove excess skin is unfortunately not cheap as skin removal is considered a cosmetic treatment and often not covered by a health plan.

However, the procedure to remove loose skin after weight loss poses a far smaller health risk than gastric banding and bariatric surgery. So healthy weight loss through diet and exercise is still the best option.

How To Reduce Loose Skin During Weight Loss

There are some measures that you can take to reduce the amount of loose skin that is left behind after you lose weight.

Exercise on a regular basis to tone and tighten the areas with loose skin

Aim to lose weight slowly to give your body time to adjust to fat loss

Perform regular weight training exercises. Muscles provide a surface of skin to grip to and fill out the space left by the fat

Drinking plenty a lot of water helps to maintain healthy skin

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All of these can only go so far to help the situation however. If you have lost, or are planning to lose, a lot of weight, say over 100 pounds, then loose skin could become a problem.

Is Loose Skin Removal Safe?

The procedure to remove loose skin has been developing over the last 40 years. The method was first performed by surgeons in Brazil and France. However, at this time there were often complications, such as severe scarring, lumpy skin and painfully long recovery from surgery. Advancements in surgery in recently years have seen the risk factor reduce significantly and the development of the “body lift” method of skin removal.

Tummy Tucks and Breast Lifts

These are terms that you may be most familiar with, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), mastopexy (breast lift). There are both skin removal procedures. Other procedures include inner thigh lifts, and brachioplasty (arm lift to remove those “chicken wings”).

These procedures are still not without risk though, so speak to your doctor or plastic surgeon about the risks associated with skin removal surgery. The main consideration is that recovery time can be long after this surgery. It can take several months before you will be able to start exercising again.

Are You Ready for Loose Skin Removal?

Before a surgeon will perform any skin removal or body lift operation they will want to be sure that you are ready. For this your weight must be stable. If you are still losing more weight or there are signs that you are putting weight back on again, then a surgeon will not want to perform the operation. If you do have more weight to lose then read our own tips on how to lose belly fat as these provide some more tricks to help you lose weight.

So if you lose weight quickly through a crash diet and extreme exercise then you need to ensure that you are dedicated to following a lifetime maintenance program with a healthy diet and regular exercise is essential.

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12 comments for “Removal of Loose Belly Fat and Skin”

Deva

November 22, 2010 at 8:45 am

I am 27/female, my wt is 80kg, i am gyming alternate days and it has helped me to reduced weight but my main concern is that i want to get rid of my belly fat soon as that is the area which is not responding. what is the best way to loose my belly fat?

MotleyHealth

November 22, 2010 at 9:38 am

You need to improve your diet and increase the intensity of your workouts. In time you will reduce your belly. See our article on how to lose belly fat for more information.

blessing

December 18, 2010 at 10:48 am

i wouldn’t mind getting more information on what excercise to do to reduce one’s tummy

MotleyHealth

December 18, 2010 at 12:20 pm

Hi Blessing, there is a ton of information here at MotleyHealth.com. Look up circuit training and bodyweight training too, these are great ways to burn fat. Any specific questions, please just ask.

Graduate

January 5, 2011 at 1:52 am

I’m 27 years old and I weigh 127 pounds. I have been struggling for seven years to flatting my loose belly. I had my son who weigh 9 lbs 1 oz, 9 years ago. my weigh then jumped from 109 to 178, but im now 127 poounds with excess skin.Will i be able to flatting it with proper dieting and exercising or will it have to be removed?

MotleyHealth

January 5, 2011 at 2:13 am

The only way for you to know is to ask a doctor for advice. They will be able to examine you and provide a more educated answer.

Priyanka

January 29, 2011 at 6:25 pm

I’m 20 yrs old and got college from morning 9 to 5. could you suggest few 30 minutes exercises to flatten abdomen. I would like to have a flat tummy. Kindly help…

Hey, im actually younger than others commenting..but I have got a vaca in florida coming up in june! I’ve been doing reverse situps which flattened my upper belly for a few months but its not making my stomach sore(for muscles/toning) anymore! I usualy come home and just do very quick jogs every few minutes on the treadmill and like I said before, reverse situps…I want a simple but verry effective workout for my LOWER belly! Help!!